The men's and women's squash teams placed sixth and eighth, respectively, at the NESCAC Championship at Trinity College last weekend.
The men were 2-2 for the weekend, cruising 8-1 past Connecticut College in the first round of competition before being eliminated from championship contention 7-2 by Bates in the quarterfinals.
In a match closer than the score indicates, William Fantini '13 and Barrett Tarkesian '13 scored the two Bowdoin points while the loss of four five-set decisions proved to be the critical factor.
The team quickly rebounded with a 7-2 victory over Wesleyan. Stephen Danyluk '14, Fantini, Andrew Hilboldt '13, Rahul Madan-Mohan '11, Reid Wilson '13 and Will Winmill '14 all racked up wins in the Polar Bear victory.
The team then dropped the fiercely contested fifth-place match 5-4 to Amherst, despite strong performances from many members of the team.
"Last weekend at NESCACs we put a lot of effort into our performance," said Wilson. "Although we lost against Bates, the results were still encouraging. Four out of nine matches went to five games, and the overall results for the weekend indicate that we are progressing closer to our potential as a team."
The Polar Bear women went 1-3 for the outing, defeating Colby 6-3. Bowdoin dominated the lower end of the ladder in last Friday's win, claiming five of the last six matches against the opposing Mules.
Lauren Gesswein '11 clinched a 3-1 win in the number one slot while Elizabeth Schetman '13 at number four and Bonnie Cao '13 at number five secured solid 3-0 sweeps. A trio of dramatic five set victories sealed the Polar Bear win, thanks to Alexandra Peacock-Villada '11, Michaela Martin '13 and Gretchen Williams '14.
The team then proceeded to be shut out 9-0 by the eventual tournament champion Trinity in the quarterfinals.
After this defeat, Bowdoin lost a pair of consolation matches to Amherst 8-1 and Wesleyan 7-2. Gesswein won both matches in the number one slot while Williams took a victory off of Wesleyan at number nine.
"Though we lost, nearly every match went to five games," said Schetman. "All the girls on our team played really well and put up a good fight, but ultimately we didn't have the momentum we needed to seal the deal."
"As frustrating as that was, I think it gave us the incentive as a team to really work hard for our last two weeks of the season and go into Nationals with the goal of beating Wesleyan," she added. "They are our closest competitors, and to end the season with a win against them would be fantastic."
The men's team will play the Bobcats at home today and at Colby on Saturday. The women's team will next take the court on February 18 at Princeton for the College Squash Association team national championship.